Method of mining coal.



0111 l s B31 e 01512? F 1111?@ l l Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. KUHN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MINING COAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

Application filed May 18, 1914. Serial No. 839,329.

To all whom z' may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY A. KUHN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usef'ul Improvement in Methods of Mining Coal; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the method of mining coal.

In addition to undermining the coal, which has been previously expanded by shooting and conveying it away, by my present method I apply pressure at an angle to the undermining cut and also out the coal at an angle to the line of movement of the cutters doing the undermining, which tends to release the coal of its adhesions along the lines of cleavage, and at the same time cutting into and breaking up any bank of slate in the wall of coal which would have a tendency to bridge the coal above said bands and prevent its dislodgment during the undermining or undercutting process.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention and which forms the subject matter of a separate application filed of even date herewith, Serial No. 796,497, in which figure 1 is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

The numeral 2 designates a suitableframe which may be composed of beams, anglebars, etc., united to form a rigid construction. This frame is supported normally in an inclined position, its rear end being carried by the truck 3, which is provided with the axle 4 on which the traction wheels 5 are mounted. The wheels 5 and the mechanism for driving same are housed in the box or casing 6. Within the casing 6 on the axle 4 is the friction sheave 7 which is engaged by the friction sheave 8 on the shaft 9. This shaft 9 is suspended from the bars 10 which are pivoted tothe bracket 11. The toggle member 12 is connected to the shaft'9 and said toggle is pivoted at 13 to the link 14 which 1s pivoted to the lug 15 on the casing 6. The other end of the toggle is connected to the crank arm 16 on the stud shaft 17 which is mounted on the bracket 18. To the outer end of the stud shaft 17 is connected the operating lever 19. It is apparent that by operating the lever 19, the toggle member 12 is operated to move the friction member 8 into or out of contact with the friction sheave 8 to transmit power to the driving axles.

Mounted on the shaft 9 is a sprocket wheel 20, the chain 21 passing around the sprocket wheel 20 and around the sprocket wheel 22 of the shaft 23 mounted in the frame. Mounted on the shaft 23` is the form wheel 24 which is connected with the worm 25 on the shaft 26. This shaft 26 has the gear Wheel 27 which is engaged by the pinion 28 on the counter shaft 29. The gear wheel 30 on the shaft 29 is engaged by the driving pinion 31 on the shaft 32. The shaft 32 has the clutch bars 33 adapted to receive the square end of the shaft 34 of the motor 35. This motor, which in the present case is an electric motor, is the driving power for the undercutting mechanism 36 indicated in dotted lines, which may be of the ordinary construction, comprising a cutter chain which is driven by power transmitted from the motor 35. When this undercutting mechanism is mounted on the frame 2, the motor shaft 34 engages the clutch boX 33, and power is transmitted from the motor to the mechanism for connecting the traction wheels 5 to the other parts of the mechanismto be hereafter described.

In front of the truck 3 are the steering wheels 40 which support the forward end of the frame. Channels 41 are secured to the frame 2, said channels being inclined and the flanges of said channels forming a track for the rollers 42 of the buggy 43. The buggy 43 has the threaded nut 44 with which the threaded bar 45 engages. The upper end of the threaded bar has the pinion 45 which meshes with the pinion 46 on the shaft 47. This shaft 47 has the gear wheel 48 which meshes with the gear wheel 27. By the rotation of the threaded bar 45 the buggy is advanced with its rollers 42 moving in the channel bars 41, and in this way the front end of the frame 2 is lifted, as indicated in Fig. 3.

To operate the steering wheels 40, hand wheels 49 are provided mounted on the shaft 50, said shaft carrying the worm 51 which engages the toothed sector 52 on the swivel plate 53 of the truck 43. In this manner, the steering wheels are properly directed to move the machine in the direction de` sired.

At the rear end of the frame 2 of the sprocket wheel 55 and at the forward end of said frame are the sprocket wheels 56. The chain 57 passes around said sprocket wheels and said chain carries the flights 52 at intervals. The outer ends of the flights 58 are formed with integral cutters or diggers 58a, or if desired, said cutters or diggers may be made detachable and are adapted to cut or dig under the body of coal which has been lowered by shooting, as fully hereinafter set forth. The cutters on the flights are preferably arranged alternately extending upwardly and downwardly so as to make a wider cut.

The front edges of the flights are preferably beveled to a shaft edge as indicated at 59 to enable them to pass readily through the mass of coal.

The pan 60 is secured to the frame 2 below the ights and said iights are adapted to travel along the said pan and convey the coal which is dislodged onto the pan by the action of the diggers or cutters. The coal is discharged at the rear into the pit wagon 61.

Extending up from the frame 2 are the pedestals 62 which form the support for the shaft 63 which is journaled therein. This shaft 63 has the pinions 64 which mesh with the teeth 65 on the side bars 66 of the frame 67. The forward end of the frame 67 has its side bars connected by pins 68 to the lugs 69 on the tilting frame 70. The tilting frame 70 has the shaft 71 with the key or feather 72 extending longitudinally thereof. Mounted on the shaft 71 are the disks 73 provided with the cutters 74, said disks being adapted to be moved along the shaft 72 and having grooves in their hubs engaging the key 72 on said shaft 7l.

A shaft 79 is mounted in suitable bearings in the frame 2, said shaft at its inner end having the gear wheel 80, which meshes with the pinion 81 connected up with the motor 35. ed at the forward end of the shaft 79 and slidable on the keys 83 on said shaft. A yoke 85 is connected up to the beveled pinions 82 and 83, and said yoke is operated by the lever 86 for throwing said beveled pinions into and out of engagement with the reversing pinion 87. The pinion 87 is mounted on the vertical shaft 88 and at the upper end of said shaft is the worm 89, which meshes with the worm wheel 90 on the shaft 64.-. In this manner power is applied to move the frame 66 and tilt the tilting frame 70 at different angles as may be desired.

.In order to drive the shaft 71 and the disks 73 carried thereby, the shaft 79 is provided with the clutch mechanism 91 operated by the lever 92. The shaft 93 which is connected up to the shafts 79 by the clutch mechanism has the beveled pinion 94: which Beveled pinions 82 and 83 are connect.

meshes with the beveled pinion 95 on the shaft 96. A sprocket wheel 97 on the shaft 96 is connected by the chain 98 with the sprocket wheel 99 on the shaft 71.

In carrying out my improved method with the above described apparatus, it is to be assumed that an undercut has been made in the solid wall of coal and that the coal has been expanded along its lines of cleavage by shooting', all as clearly set forth in the application, Serial No. 7 96,497, above referred to.

I then proceed to undermine this expanded body of coal by advancing the machine along the floor of the mine and digging under the coal as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. After the cutters and flights have advanced the proper distance under the mass of coal, I then apply the pressure at an angle thereto or upwardly as in the present case, and this is accomplished by putting in operation the mechanism to raise the forward end of the machine simultaneously with the undermining or dislodging mechanism.

Accordingly the feed screw 15 is rotated and the buggy 43 moved along the guides 41 in the frame and as said buggy moves forwardly, the frame is gradually raised as indicated in Fig. 3. This raising of the frame creates the upward pressure on the mass of coal, and where there are any bands, as at 100, these bands will be broken and the coal which has been expanded along its lines of cleavage will be dislodged in lumps, so as to be deposited on the pan and carried of by the flights to the pit wagon in the rear. In addition to this upward pressure applied in this manner, the cutter disks 73 are put into operation having been lowered into position to cut vertical slots in the wall of the coal which has been expanded along its lines of cleavage and as the frame rises said cutter disks move upwardly and cut into the coal as well as into any bands which are present and act very effectively to release the coal of adhesions along its lines of cleavage, so that with the upward pressure exerted by the frame and the cutting and digging mechanism carried thereby, the coal is dislodged and removed in large lumps to be carried off by the conveyer.

What I claim is:

1. The method of mining coal, consisting in expanding or disrupting the solid wall of coal along lines of its cleavage by shootmg or otherwise, whereby the solid body of the coal is changed from a cemented solid to a mass wherein the adhesions along lines of its cleavage are released or weakened, subsequently making a creviced opening in the wall of disrupted coal by a force moving across the coal continuously in one direction, and simultaneously therewith making a cut at an angle to said opening thereby further weakening the mass as a whole and subdividing it.

2. The method of mining coal, consisting in expanding and disrupting the Coal in the solid along lines of its cleavage, whereby the adhesions along lines of its cleavage are released or weakened, subsequently making a crevioelike opening in the disrupted mass by a force moving across the coal continuously in one direction; applying a pressure at an angle to the line of said opening, and simultaneously cutting into the disrupted mass of coal at an angle to the line of said crevieelike opening, and simultaneously therewith dislodging and conveying away the dislodged coal from the mass of disrupted coal.

3. The method of mining coal, consisting in expanding and disrupting the coal in the solid along lines of its cleavage, whereby the adhesions along lines of its cleavage are released or weakened, subsequently making a crevicelike opening in the disrupted mass; applying a pressure at an angle to the line of said opening, simultaneously making a series of outs in the mass of disrupted coal, and simultaneously therewith dislodging and conveying away the coal from the disrupted mass.

In testimony whereof, I the said HARRY A. KUHN have hereunto set my hand.

HARRY A. KUHN.

Witnesses:

JOHN F. WILL, Ro'r. D. TOTTEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

